Agenda

Join us for an insightful session on how the Civil Society Alliances for Digital Empowerment (CADE) is working to boost CSO participation in global policy processes, including those all-important standard-setting ones. We'll dive into the evolving roles of CSOs, necessary structural changes, accountability mechanisms, joint GS-GN advocacy, and more. Our goal? To develop clear strategies for more inclusive and effective CSO contributions, especially from stakeholders in the Global South (GS).

Our expert panellists will tackle where we stand now with CSO participation, shining a light on the progress and the hurdles, like limited access to decision-making roles and the need for stronger structural support. We’ll also discuss how CSOs can transition from observers to key contributors with decision-making power and how we can measure their impact on upholding human rights standards.

Additionally, we’ll explore ways to ensure standard-setting bodies are accountable to CSO inputs and concerns. Practical steps to make these processes more inclusive and responsive to diverse regional needs will be on the agenda too.

Meet the Panellists:

• Jovan Kurbalija, Executive Director, DiploFoundation
  Radka Sibille, Digital Affairs Advisor, EU Delegation to the UN in Geneva
  Olivier Alais, Program Coordinator, ITU
  Adam Peake, Civil Society Engagement Sr. Manager, ICANN
  Karolina Iwańska, Digital Civic Space Advisor, ECNL
  Abed Kataya, Digital Expert, SMEX

Moderator: 

• Stephanie Borg Psaila, Director Digital Policy, DiploFoundation (CADE project lead)